


Something New

by gingergallifreyan



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-17 01:45:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13648860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingergallifreyan/pseuds/gingergallifreyan
Summary: Rose and the new new new Doctor figure out how their lives fit together after Bad Wolf Bay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the Doctor have a row after he tries to step into a situation at Torchwood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For doctorroseprompts' Tentoosday. Love ya, big guy!
> 
> Also based on otpprompts' post: “We used to be partners, what happened to us?”

“Doctor, would you just let me handle things? You can’t just step into every situation like you know everything!”

“But in the other universe, that race was dangerous. Slave traders, pillagers, war mongers. I’ve had to stop them a time or two.”

“Yeah, well, they’re not over here in this one, and you almost ruined those peace negotiations. All they want is their home protected, and they came to us for help.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I was only trying to protect you.”

Her nostrils flared. “You know what? I’ll see you at the flat.” And with that, she strode out of her office.

He knew better than to say anything else or follow her. She was properly angry at him. That’d happened on the TARDIS a few times, and he’d quickly learned to let her have her space. She’d always take a bit to cool off, and then she’d come back to him when she was ready.

But they weren’t on the TARDIS anymore. They’d been back in Pete’s World for a little over a week, and while they would have appreciated the time to recoup, Pete had called them in to deal with a few tetchy situations and promised vacation time, as much time as they wanted, in return.

They’d been quiet together. Rose, he recognized, needed time to mourn the loss of the other him. She’d reassured him her distance had nothing to do with him, that she still saw him as the Doctor. She needed time and space to process everything that had happened. He offered to stay in her guest room, but she insisted that would have been ridiculous. They slept in the same bed, but they felt worlds apart to him. He wanted nothing more than to hold her again, to touch her, to kiss her like he’d done on the beach. Twice that week, she’d fallen asleep on him, her arm slung over his torso. For all his single heart had pounded at the simple gesture, he wondered how he’d fallen asleep at all.

All he could do was wait for her. And he’d never been a patient Time Lord, always running about the universe, always rushing to leave after he’d saved the day, never wanting to deal with the consequences. That was why his other self had left the beach in a hurry. And who could blame him? The Doctor was losing and gaining Rose Tyler all at once. He knew what he’d signed up for when the Time Lord had mentioned one last stop at Bad Wolf Bay, and he wouldn’t trade being with Rose Tyler for anything in the world, even with their current row. He could be patient for her.  


He’d done something similar earlier in the week, made assumptions about a different alien race that didn’t hold true in this parallel world. She’d pulled him aside and gently advised him, which he took in stride, and stepped back from the negotiating table while she and Jake worked. And work she did. Not that he'd ever doubted her, but he marveled at her as he listened to her speak.  


That instance had been via video. He wasn’t prepared for the sight of a Gralp stepping into the room. He’d immediately stepped between the alien and Rose, scowling and demanding to know their business.

Rose had to calm the frightened being and apologized profusely, and then she’d excused herself and the Doctor to her office.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. Was he failing her? He was used to having all the answers, but this new universe ran by different rules. Did she even need him anymore? He’d seen her in action. She was certainly more than capable on her own. She’d always been, of course, but  _ she _ was the one who managed to find him when he’d written it off as impossible. Clearly she’d grown in their time apart.

Somehow he’d managed to find his way to the Tube and back to her flat. He crashed on the sofa, and then next thing he heard was the  click of the lock. He glanced out the window to see the sun had set, and his stomach rumbled. Rubbish human bodies, needing to eat all the time.

Lucky for him, Rose was carrying a takeaway bag. “I brought some Chinese,” she announced.

“Thanks.” He sat up and carded a hand through his hair. 

She deposited her keys and bag on the kitchen counter and joined him, holding out his box.

They ate for a while in silence. As he’d mused earlier, it was best to let her speak first, so he waited. 

When she finished her meal, she set her box on the glass-top coffee table. “Doctor, I’m sorry.”

That was not the beginning he’d imagined. He swallowed. “For what?”

“You were only trying to help. I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“I shouldn’t have jumped in. I forgot things are different.”

“I forgot we’re a team. At least we used to be.”

“Shiver and Shake, as I recall.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “What happened to us?”

“Time and space apart, things are bound to change a little bit. It’s the way of life. I would know better than anyone, and you’ve changed a lot. I haven’t forgotten that huge gun slung over your body as you ran down that street.”

She nudged his foot with hers. “Hey, you were the one who upgraded our guns to break through the skin of a Dalek, as I recall. I needed it for self-defense.”

“I’m not criticizing. It was… attractive, if I’m honest, my feelings for weapons aside. Though I’m not sure how we would have fit together with a huge gun between us.” 

She grinned. “I would have thrown it aside. And lucky for you, the Dalek solved that problem.”

“I suppose… there was a time when I would have needed to step in and protect you, like I did today. You don’t need that anymore.” The pressure under her scrutiny at that comment weighed on his chest. He leaned his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together, studying the carpet.

The fabric of the sofa lightly hissed as she scooted closer to him. She pressed into his side and her hand slid down his arm until it met his. “That doesn’t mean I don’t need you.”

He looked in her eyes. “Do you?”

“Of course I do. And not just because the stars were going out. I wanted to come back for you. I missed you.” Her voice cracked and she sighed.

“I missed you, too. There was this hole nobody else could ever quite fill.”

“It was stupid of me, my fight with you this morning. I was so excited to show him I wasn’t some stupid chav from the estate anymore. Now I won’t have the chance.”

He squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips. “You were never a stupid chav from the estate to me. Never. And shame on me if I ever made you feel that way.” After a moment, he spoke again. “In fact, thinking back to earlier this week. This universe never had a Doctor that we know of. You’ve sort of become a Doctor in your own right. I was very impressed, watching you negotiate.”

“Thanks.” She smiled lightly, her eyes shining with tears. “I’m sorry I’ve been so… closed off.”

“It’s alright. I know how it feels to lose someone.”

“No, it’s not. We’re supposed to be partners.”

“And we will be again. We just need to learn to fit in a new way. We might not be the same Shiver and Shake we used to be, and that’s alright. We’re something new, and you know what?” 

“What?”

“We have our whole lives to figure it out.”

“Yeah. We do. It’ll help when we take that vacation Dad’s promised.”

“Oh, yeah, we do have that.”

“Where do you want to go?”

He squeezed her hand again. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care.”

“Pear farm it is.”

“As long as we’re together and there’s no pears, I don’t care.”

She laughed. “New new new Doctor, same taste.” 

“The more things change, as they say.”

“I love you. That hasn’t changed.”

His heart stuttered at her confession, hardly able to believe he had the chance to return it whenever he wanted now. “I love you, too, Rose Tyler.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First stop on their vacation: Paris. And it's every bit as romantic as they could imagine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I posted [this list](http://gingergallifreyan.tumblr.com/post/170980680030/drabbles-send-me-characters-and-a-prompt) of prompts, I received two, one shortly after the other, for Tentoo x Rose and "shag me". And who am I to deny them that happiness?
> 
> The first chapter of this fic was originally meant for Tentoosday, but since everyone loved it and left nice comments (IT REALLY WORKS YOU GUYS, LIKE WATERING PLANTS SO THEY WILL GROW EXCEPT UNLIKE PLANTS YOU WONT DROWN AN AUTHOR BY LEAVING COMMENTS EXCESSIVELY), I decided I couldn't leave them in such an angsty/hurt-comforty spot, even if the final point was happy.
> 
> So this is for the nonny who prompted: Tentoo x Rose, shag me.
> 
> As always, if you see anything else on that list you'd like prompted for Tentoo x Rose, or any of the specified couples, let me know in the comments or inbox me on tumblr! I'm having so much fun with these prompts!!

First stop? Paris. It was a bold move on his part, suggesting the location, and he didn’t even hide the romantic overtones in his voice when he brought it up, and neither did he fail to notice the blush in her cheeks. 

He wasn’t angling for anything in particular, though. And while he’d flirted endlessly with Rose while they were in the prime universe, he’d never had the courage to follow through on anything. Rose seemed to have understood how much he cared for her at the time and reciprocated those feelings. Had they been together longer, he might have made a move...

But that was the past. He’d been given the chance at a life with her in the present, and he was tired of wasting time.

She’d worn a lovely black backless dress and curled her hair. Her makeup was perfect, not that she needed it, he’d thought, and she was absolutely stunning. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her the whole time at dinner. Then they’d began a stroll back to their hotel. The air was warm with a slight breeze and the air smelled of sugar from various confectioneries. 

They were nearly their destination as they crossed a bridge over the Seine. They stopped in the middle to admire the view of the city, the lights reflecting on the water. His hand found itself on the small of her back and he stroked her skin with his thumb.

“I never came here,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Before you. While I was on my own. I didn’t travel much, except for missions and jumps. Family went on vacation every now and then. That was nice.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “Didn’t feel right without you. I’d lost my partner.” She nudged him with her elbow. “It wasn’t right, arriving somewhere and not hearing you rattle off a few useless facts.”

He snorted. “Useless? My facts are hardly ever useless.”

She grinned. “Name me one useless fact that ever amounted to usefulness.”

“The telescope, when we met the Chevalier d’Eon. I used that telescope to spot those slave traders approaching.”

“That’s true, I suppose.”

“Ehm, here’s another one. The British Museum, when we first saw your statue. I noticed all those little details that the sculptor had kept the same. Your ring you were wearing at the time. Your earrings, you pointed out.”

“Yeah?”

He leaned closer. “I also said they often mass produced torsos and stuck on a head.”

She hummed, glancing at his lips. “And then?”

“I said the sculptor was so obviously enamored of your whole figure to have taken the time to sculpt it.”

“Was he?”

His grip tightened on the small of her back and he pulled her flush against him. “Obviously. He was inspired. Clearly  _ not _ a useless fact.”

She held onto his arm. “Hm. Passable sculptor, terrible fencer.”

“She said I was good, Rose!” 

She bit her lip. “It’s about time you proved how good you are.”

He froze. She wasn’t talking about fencing anymore, was she?

“You boasted about your dance moves once upon a time.”

He swallowed. Definitely not talking about fencing.

“It wasn’t fair, y'know.”

“What?”

“You flirting like that and then leaving me hanging.”

“I suppose it wasn’t, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t. And then new you. Drove me right barmy sometimes.”

“Oh, ho ho, Rose. You’re hardly one to talk.”

“How have we been on the same page for so long?”

“I don’t know, but I think it’s time we read from the book, yeah?”

“Or write one of our own. Seems fitting, don’t you think?”

“New universe, new us. Very fitting indeed.”

She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It is.”

“Like… this dress you’re wearing.”

She brought her lips close to his. “Yeah?”

“It would fit nicely on the floor of our hotel.”

Her jaw dropped.

“There’s plenty more where that came from. I’ve been saving them up for forever.”

“You’d better fit your mouth on mine soon.”

“Gladly.” He ducked his head to press his lips to hers, pulling her even closer to him, if it were possible. His fingers tingled as they swept over her exposed back, as did his lips as they thoroughly explored hers.

When they made it back to their hotel and they verified the dress did indeed fit very well on the floor (as did his suit) and he laid her back on the bed, she wrapped her legs around his waist and said, “Doctor, I need you now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought foreplay was important for human females?”

“We’ve been foreplaying ever since you said, ‘Run.’ I’m good for now, trust me.”

He laughed until she reached between them and gave him a few good strokes, at which he promptly emitted other noises.

She giggled. “Now, Time Lord.”

“Right, sorry.” He guided himself in, and they could hardly stand how good it felt. 

\--

The Doctor molded himself to her side and pulled the bed linens over them. “We fit rather well, don’t you think?”

She bit her lip and grinned at him. “I love you, Doctor.”

He smiled. “I love you. So much, Rose.” He leaned up to kiss her again.


End file.
